Imperfect Perfection
by N7Dovah
Summary: When Shepard first saw her, he saw an Angel. But as he got know, he found out she was as beautiful on the inside as the outside. She thought he wanted her body, and be done. Boy was she glad she was wrong. Follow the Commander and Miranda as they try to save humanity from the Collectors and follow their budding love. Shepard x Miranda Some Shepard x Kelly. They battle for his love.
1. Angel and Resurrection

**This is a Mass Effect Two fanfiction, first on this account, not website, by FoolKing. This is a John Shepard (Sentinel/Colonist/Sole Survivor.** **Same looks, just different class and story.** **) x Miranda Lawson and their relationship as they slowly fall for each other. I thought it was** **appropriate** **,** **as Miranda was my first romance. It was supposed to be Tali, but dat booty made me betray my beloved Quarian. She would have been my first Mass Effect fanfic, but I was having trouble with how to work with the enviro-** **suit.** **Don't forget to review.** **So without further ado…**

 _ **Imperfect Perfection**_

 **X**

 **X**

 **X**

"Shepard!" I high pitched wail come from behind my as I latched my breather helmet onto my Alliance Onyx armor. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya stands behind me, looking even more panicky and fidgety than usual. Probably because the roof of the CIC was ripped open and whatever wasn't open to the vacuum of the void was ablaze.

"The distress is ready for launch." I say through a nasality, nodding at the Quarian.

"Will the Alliance, anyone, get here on time?" She said, very jittery.

"Of course, they won't just leave huge assets adrift, frozen in space." I grab a fire extinguisher as a rather big explosion rips through the _SSV Normandy._ I toss the pressurized canister to three-fingered masked beauty, to which she catches and goes to work.

"Joker's still in the cockpit, he's not leaving. And neither am I as long as your not."

"Tali. I need you to get the crew into the evacuation shuttle." I open a gauge, helping her with the fire.

"John."

"Tali, please."

After a seconds hesitation, she start piling in crew members as I make my way up to the CIC and hear Joker making a distress call. "Mayday, mayday! This is the _SSV Normandy!_ We have suffered heavy damage from an unknown enemy. Hold it together girl, hold it together girl."

On the CIC, the artificial gravity is at the max, making me walk like Wrex in slow-mo. In the cockpit, Joker furiously works at trying to maneuver the carnage that used to be our ship. Bursting through into his pocket of air, I lean over the back of his chair, hollering. "Joker! Come on, we gotta go! Now!"

"I can still saver her sir!"

"It's over, Joker. No point in dieing without a reason." Finally his hands stop, with a heavy sigh.

"You're rig… They're coming around for another attack!"

I move back into space, seeing, the what seems to be a giant shit mixed with gray rings of Saturn, charge a huge orange beam, and fire. "Come on!" I grab his forearm, yanking him with me.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Fuck! Ow!" I escort the frail pilot to the escape pod on the bridge. Moving to the button as the phaser ripped through again, separating us as I smash the red launch button. "Shepard!" His screams are lost behind the doors as I drift into the cold space, grasping my helm, great pain spreading through me as darkness takes me.

 **X**

 **X  
X**

"There. On the monitor. Something's wrong." The voice sounds muffled as conscious slowly comes to me.

"He's reacting to the outside stimuli. Showing awareness of his surroundings." Another voice, slightly less muffled continues. My breathes are hard and labored as I look around, trying to find out where I was. "Oh my god, Miranda. I think he's waking up."

On my left a women in a white catsuit with black shoulders, arms, palms, white fingers, and black boots approach me, still a blur. "Damn it, Wilson! He's not ready yet. Give him the sedative!" I try to move my arm, but the woman pushes it back down, gently. As my vision clears up, I realize the woman is an angel. She must be to look so beautiful. In fleeting glimpse, she has long black hair and pale, flawless skin, topped with steel blue eyes. "Shepard – don't try to move. Just lie still. Try to stay calm." Her gloved hand rest upon mine as I start freak out at the wires and the sterile white room.

"Heart rate still climbing. Brain activity is off the charts. Stats pushing into the red zone. It's not working." The man tells her, sounding less than surprised as the angel crosses the room to the monitor.

"Another dose. Now." This "Miranda approaches, causing me to freak even worse and thrash around on the metal table.

Then, a wave of calm washes over, slowing my blood. "Heart rate dropping. Stats falling back into normal range. That was too close. We almost lost him." The bald man comments.

"I told you your estimates were wrong, run the numbers again." I slip back into sleep with the voice and the face of an angel seared into memory.

 **X**

 **X**

 **X**

The next time I regain awareness, gunshot and explosions sound off all around me. The female voice booming over a speaker. "Wake up, Commander. Shepard, do you hear me? Get out of that bed now – this facility is under attack." A explosion rocks me as my eyes flutter open, adjusting to the bright lights I grasp at my aching jaw as the soft, but demanding voice comes back to the overhead. "Shepard. Your scars aren't healed, but I need you to get moving. This facility is under attack. There's a pistol in the locker on the other side of the room. Hurry!" An excruciating pain spreads through my ribs as I use them to stand, making my way to the locker. "Grab the pistol and the armor from the locker."

I open the locker to see a set of all but facial armor, pulling it on, it adjusts itself to my fit, latching on and resizing perfectly. The armor looks so much different than my old armor, but on the front is the logo for N7. When I pick up the pistol, I notice something. "This pistol doesn't have a thermal clip." I announce, knowing she heard me.

"We'll get you a clip from… Damn it! Keep your head down, Shepard, shield yourself from the explosion!" I duck behind some sort of medical or science equipment in a clear container as the door to the lab explodes. "Someone's hacking security trying to kill you. Look for a thermal clip for your pistol."

"Well aren't you my night in shining armor." I quip as I find my clips on a dead girl in the old doorway.

I hear her sigh. "Now is not the time, Commander. Looks like someone set up a barricade to try holding the mechs off." I jump the barricade as a bullet whips past my face. "Look out!" I duck behind some near crates, initiating my omni-tool to appear on my forearm. Selecting an image, I hold it to my chest, an orange chestplate materialized in thin air around me. I hop the barricade, firing a single shot. The round destroyed the bots head. "Keep moving. We need to get you to the shuttles." I storm up the ramp and into the next room. "Shepard! Security mechs are closing in on your position. Take cover."

I drop down behind more solid glass and equipment as one comes head-on, two more from a side room. I fire two more rounds into the mechs wired skulls and use overload on the last, he fritz and explodes everywhere.

"Nice work, Shepard. Coast is clear." Relishing in the compliment from her sweet voice, I take the weak bots, compared to the Geth, clips and move on. I notice as a YMIR charges down a hall firing on two regular crew. I watch helplessly as it slaughters them from the other side of the bullet proof glass. "Don't waste time. I can't keep the mechs distracted for long." Moving past another dead body by the door, on the other side: "More reinforcements heading you way. Grab the grenade launcher off the security officers body. Here come the mechs, use the grenade launcher to take them out."

I aim it the downstairs door, then it slid open revealing a handful of mechs. Firing a single grenade was enough to send wiry limbs and circuit boards everywhere, also causing a pipeline to burst and a steady stream of fire gushes out.

"Take the elevator down one floor." Doing so, she makes another command. "Hurry! Get to the door! Run!" Sprinting through the least amount of concentrated fire, I make it through to the door unharmed. "You're doing… – Shepard. Head to the… – meet you..." I start to lose Miranda as I rush through the next door. "Shepard? – read me? I've got… – closing in… – position."

"Miranda? Miranda!" I shout, only to get silence in return. The next room contains to crawling robots, which I promptly stomp out. There is two data logs on a subject, most likely me. Miranda stays positive saying things are progressing, however slow. Wilson states it's over budgets, breaching four billion credits. _On me? Why?_

I hack a small wall safe, getting 975 cheap credits. I charge up stairs to see a man behind a window in another black and white with a familiar little orange emblem, it looks like a thin hexagon, not connecting at the bottom, and to little wing-like prongs going from three-fourths of the way up to the bottom, like a ship. "Shepard!" Another, to my disbelief, YMIR rounded the corned, firing openly. "No! Help! Help me!" Backing away towards the door, away from the gruesome scene, I move through the next door. In this room a dark skinned, young man shoot his heavy pistol at the mechs and using his biotic skills, with my assistants, we make short work of the bots.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were still a work in progress." The short-haired Vanguard in a tight leathery, shoulder plated body suit.

"Who are you? I just woke up? Got any coffee?"

Even under fire, he laughed at the comical request. "I'm Jacob Taylor. Miranda's Lieutenant, and head of security."

"You're bad at your job." I say with a poker face.

"Things must be worse than I thought if Miranda's got you running around. I'll fill you in, but first better get you to the shuttle first."

"Lead on, Jacob."

"First off – let's finish off these metal bastards. We're low on thermal clips, but I'm a biotic. Just give the order when you want me to hit them with the good stuff." After finishing several more LOKI mechs, we move onto the door opposite of the one I came from. "Ready to get the hell of this station?"

"Fuck, to the yes."

Before he could answer, someone cut in across Taylor's omni-tool. "Check. Check. Anyone on this frequency? Anyone still alive out there? Hello?"

"Wilson? This is Jacob. I'm here with Commander Shepard. Just took out a wave of mechs over in D Wing."

"Shepard's alive? How the hell… never mind. You need to get him out of there. Get to the service tunnels and head to the network control room."

"Roger that, Wilson. Stay on this frequency."

"I remember him."

"He's the chief medical tech. Answer directly to Miranda. Let's go."Down a long corridor with marks from gunfire on the walls and a clip, comes a small room, bathed in red lighting, and mechs coming to life. "Damn it, Wilson! This room is crawling with mechs!"

"The whole station is crawling with mechs! I'm doing the best I can!" The room contains three mechs which, we make short work of with biotics and guns.

"Wilson? Find us another route out of here. Preferably one that doesn't lead straight into an enemy squad!"

"Just keep moving toward the control room. Don't get pinned down. I'll see what I can do." The injured doctor hollers back at Jacob. "Oh, God! They found me! Help!"

"Wilson? Where are you?"

"Server Room B! Hurry! They're out of control!" He yells erratically as I haul ass up the stairs, on my left is a room with another project update, physical form done, still needing to know of mental and neurological state. Going back and heading right through an unlocked door, where the doc lays clutching a wound. "Bastards got me right in the leg."

"How am I doing doc? Will I live? Will you?" I say to the untrustworthy little man, hearing Jacob make a laughing noise by puffing air through his nose, then inspecting the wound.

"Shitty. Yes. And I yes. Get the medi-gel off the wall and help me out." I retrieve said medi-gel, holding my palm with an omni-tool on towards his legs, watching the shallow wound knit together. "Thanks, Shepard, I guess we're even now."

"What were you even doing in here, Wilson? Why do you even have security mech clearance? You're bio wing." Jacob pressed.

"I came here to try and stop the LOKIs, got shot. Do you really think I'm to blame?" Wilson says through clenched teeth.

"Both of you shut up." I state, not wanting to play daddy. "Let's get somewhere safe and _then_ you can start throughing punches."

"Right, Shepard's right. We gotta find Miranda first, we can't leave her." Jacob nods, eying Wilson suspiciously.

"Hell no! She was in D wing, mechs were crawling all over that sector. She's gone."

"YMIRs couldn't stop Miranda, she's alive."

"Then where is she? Why haven't we heard from her? She's either dead, or a traitor! Face it!"

"No way! She helped! She's alive, and not a traitor, she would of let me die! Why are you so determined to leave Miranda?"

"Because she's not here, we are! I wanna live! The shuttle bay's over there."

As if on queue, the mechs burst in. I use my omni-tool to overload the canisters, destroying them and the mechs. "Shepard, things are getting tense, if I tell you who we work for, will you trust me?" Jacob says in as we shuffle through the canister bits and pieces.

"Not now, Jacob..." Wilson draws out.

"The Lazarus Project, that rebuilt you… Was a Cerberus project."

"Cerberus? Cerberus… Cerberus! You're terrorists!"

"Things change, Alliance gave up you, declared you dead. Cerberus spent a fortune restoring you. Look, I wouldn't trust us right now either, but for now, we need to work together. I figured to know what's what. Once we're out of here, I'll you to the Illusive Man, he'll explain everything."

"Fine, let's go. Tired of this place."

"You can say that again..." Taylor mumbles under his breathe.

"We're close to the shuttle bay. This way." In the hallway scattered with dead _Cerberus_ crew is a datapad, which upon hacking contains a lump sum of credits. Through another corridor and to the left leads to a room with a lot of crates and mechs. Destroying the three mechs with head shots, heading upstairs proves more difficult, as on the left and right, there are huge groups of the AI. Pulling the grenade launcher off my back, I fire each way, explosions rippling, destroying anything in it's path. Having enough of this station, I go right, straight for the doors. "Come on, through her, we're almost at the..." As the doors slide open he falls silent, just to open his fat trap again. "Miranda! But you were..." He never finished his sentence, as she shot him in the chest.

"Dead?" The angel herself said as she watches with distaste as he falls to the floor in a bloody heap. I chuckle to myself as Jacob jogs to the body.

"What the hell are you doing?" He exclaims, eyes flickering from Wilson to Miranda.

"My job. Wilson betrayed us all." Said man, squirmed ever so gently, slowly making his way towards a gun. Lowering my M-3 Predator, I shot a round into his bald head, ending the squirming.

"Knew it." I mumble to myself.

"Good instincts." She says, surprising me that she heard that.

"Do you really think _Wilson_ was capable of that?"

"Not anymore." Miranda laughs as Jacob just looks pissed. She puts her hand on her right hip, which she sticks out. She wears a white catsuit that is covered in little hexagons and a black belt that rides from her lower right hip to her upper left where it parts to go two ways, and her ample breast strain against tight suit. The shoulders and arms are black, all the way to the her knuckles, which are white. All accompanied by mid thigh-high black boots… Simple angelic face on the body of a seductress.

"Come on, let's take this shuttle off the station. I'll take you to our boss."

Trying to sound calm, bored almost. "The Illusive Man?"

"Ah, Jacob. You always were too nice for your own good..."

"Lying to the Commander isn't the way to get him to join our cause."

"Welp, anymore questions while we're getting it all out there, Shepard?"

"I've had enough of this station to last a life time."

"Or two in your case." She says, with the most beautifully, breathe-taking smile graced her lips as she laughs quietly to herself. I swear it made my heart skip a beat… Or they put it in wrong… I watch silently as we depart from the station, watching it grow smaller and smaller. "Before you meet the Illusive Man, we need to test your mental situation." Miranda states, now completely formal.

"What, we have to do this now?" Jacob sounds almost offended.

"We needed _weeks_ for studying to see if the project was a success, a few questions on the shuttle ride will have to suffice." Her accent, closes to Australian, sent shivers down my spine.

"Okay, records show you were born in a colony, Mindoir. It was raided by Batarian slavers when you were sixteen, you alone survived. When the Alliance arrived, you enlisted at the age of eighteen and at twenty-three you volunteered for Akuze, only for fifty other soldiers to die by a Thresher Maw attack. Remember what it was like?" Taylor glances back at me.

"Horrible, bloody, gruesome. Fifty good men died." I say solemnly.

"I'm sorry, Commander. One slaughter after another must cause great mental stress..." The dark-skinned man look at Miranda, and speaks grudgingly. "Satisfied, Miranda?"

"Almost, try something more recent. On Virmire, where you destroyed Saren's Krogan army breeding facility, you had to let one of your Alliance crew die."

"Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko was killed in action. Your call. Why him, not Ashley?"

"it was the hardest choice of my life. But in the end, saving Ashley _and_ the Salarians was more beneficial in the long run. I expressed my regret to Alenko before he died. He was a hero."

"I'm not judging. I understand."

"One more, after letting the council die to destroy Sovereign, who did you choose for the council? Udina or Anderson?"

"Anderson. Fuck Udina"

"Alright, but we really should run more tests..."

"Miranda. I can vouch for his combat skills, and the tests prove he's mentally stable. They're good enough."

"Fine." She says with a huff, the rest of the trip goes by in silence.


	2. Old Friends and Mechs

"The Illusive Man will speak with you now." Miranda said, ascending from a stairwell.

Following down said stairwell, it leads into a dark room, dimly illuminated by a blue light in a circle, so I figured I'd step in. A orange body scan rises from the circle, after it rises over my head, I'm in a new room. Vast with many screens and a beautiful view of the heart of a blue star blazing in the background. "Illusive Man. I thought we'd be meeting in person..."

"Why?" He dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand, already pissing me off. "Unnecessary for people who know what we know."

"What exactly do 'we' know?"

"That our place in the galaxy is fragile. More than it should be. That one man – one very specific man – might be all that stands between humanity and the greatest threat to our brief existence."

"The Reapers." They were one of the few thing I hated _more_ that Cerberus.

"Good to see your memory is intact. How are you feeling, Shepard?" He said my name like we'd been buddies our whole lives. It made me want a new last name.

"No pleasantries. We aren't friends, and we never will be. Let's just get this over with."

"Humanity is under attack. War. While you've been out of commission, entire colonies have gone missing. Only human colonies. We know it has to be a Reaper ally. Like Saren and Sovereign. You've seen it all first hand, you decimated Saren, his Geth army, Sovereign. That's one of the reasons we choose you."

"Nothing you say is going to persuade me to trust you. I need more than words."

"Glad to hear it. You can go and see for yourself. You'll be going with Jacob and Miranda to the latest colony, Freedom's Progress."

"Do I have a choice?"

"You go to the colony, if you don't find what we're both looking for, we can part ways. Check out the colony, look for evidence. I brought you back, it's up to you to do the rest." And with that, and a click on a holoscreen on his chair, the grid went down, and I was in the dark room again. Climbing the stairs, I approached, Miranda Lawson. The woman who put me back together. The woman with the _nicest_ ass I've ever seen. The angel. The woman in white and black looks over her shoulder as I make my towards her, nods, and looks back to her holoscreen, typing.

"The Illusive Man is very impressed with you. I'm eager to see if you can live up to his expectations on this mission."

"I will. If lives are at stake, I'll do anything to save them." There was a pause in the conversation, as if she was evaluating me. "I just wanted to thank you for bringing me back, not to many people would devote two years into bringing back one man."

"I hope it was worth it. A lot of good people died on that station."

"We don't have to be enemies, Miranda. We could be friends, ya know." _Maybe more than friends?_ A voice deep in my mind whispered, hopefully. I immediately pushed the thought aside, ignoring it.

"I have complete and utter respect for your abilities, Commander. It's your motives that concern me. I believe in what Cerberus stands for. Only time will tell if you're an asset or a liability."

"Don't worry. I don't plan on 'destroying' Cerberus as long as we're on the same page."

"And what's on this 'page' of yours?"

"Save humanity from this current threat. They scratch my back, I scratch theirs." The smallest of smiles curl up her lips, I almost didn't notice it. "Anyway, what can you tell me about this colony we're going to? Freedom's Progress?"

"Freedom's Progress? It's a typical human settlement in the Terminus System. They had a small military force for protection supplemented by mechs and security drones. Average in almost every way really. Completely unremarkable… until the disappearance."

"Got a clue what we might run into there?"

"A lot of empty buildings and one giant mystery."

"Alright… How about the Lazarus Project? What can the person in charge tell?"

"I wasn't in charge. The Illusive Man was. If I was running the show, we'd of done a few things differently."

"Like…?"

"To start, I would have implanted a control chip of some sort. But the Illusive Man wouldn't have it. He was afraid it might affect your personality – alter your character somehow. Wouldn't let us do anything that might limit your potential in anyway."

"Guess I have to agree. Don't think being controlled was on the agenda of dying. But neither was dying." I say a bit grudgingly.

"The Illusive Man is taking an incredible risk with you. I just hope his gamble pays off."

"Me too. What can you tell me about _you_."

Confidence flares in her steel blue eyes. "You needn't worry about my qualifications. I can crush a mech with my biotics, or shoot it's head off at a hundred yards. Take your pick."

"Did Taylor and you serve together in the Alliance?"

"No. The Illusive man recognized my potential and recruited me at a young age."

"Just _how_ old were you?"

"Old enough to this is what I wanted."

Grinding my teeth as she refuse to be cooperative. "Fine. Go fuck yourself."

She gasps as I walk away. "You can't talk to me like that! You owe me for pulling your ass out of death's door!" Some angel.

Not in the mood to talk right now. "Come on! Taylor! Lawrence! Let's get this over with!"

I hear her growl as I open the door, a smirk as we load onto the shuttle. Jacob climbs in and right before I do, Miranda grabs the collar of my armor, pulling me down onto my until the tip of my nose is pressed against hers. Her perfect little nose. "Listen up, _Commander._ Just because you used to be a Commander in the Alliance, doesn't mean your the boss of me. On the off chance that we do find whatever the Illusive Man is looking for, which I doubt we will, and I'm assigned to your squad, I will never follow a single order you give. Argue every order you give to someone else. I will make you life hell." She growls, and her breathe smells very clean and minty.

I lean forward more until our lips were less than a hair away, I could feel the heat emitting from them. "I look forward to it. And I hope to get to know you, Mindy Lawrence."

She bared her teeth, fire blazing in her eyes. I wanted to know if she this easy to set off all the time, or as calm as she was when shooting Wilson. "Miranda Lawson." _Man, I wanna kiss her…_

"Are you always this feisty, I like it… I like you."

"Sir?" Jacob intervenes, ruining my fun.

"Jacob?" I say pulling back, meeting the gaze of the Vanguard. Miranda's gloved stays firmly wrapped around the collar of armor.

"Are we going to go to Freedom's Progress or do I need to go into a different room while you two bump nasties?"

Turning to Miranda, a question in my eyes, which earned me another growl. The way she lowered her head, and her bangs fell around her eyes, and her burning eyes, made me shudder. "Ah, I guess we'll be going to the colony."

I make a step towards the shuttle, but Miranda's grip pulls me right back down to her face, less than a breathe away. "This. Isn't. Over."

She finally releases my collar and I step unto the shuttle, turning to look down towards the pissed woman, who looked so adorable in her current position. Her fist balled up and flared out to the sides, with her arms straight down. Her hips were pushed back, causing her rump to jut out back, also causing her back to arch. Her chin is pushed out, causing her lip to make her lower lip to make a pout. All though I new she was _livid_ by the fire burning in her blue eyes behind her bangs. And she was shaking with anger. "You're so cute when you're angry… Mindy..." I hear Jacob snicker as I take a seat next the soldier, Miranda across from us both.

As we neared the landing zone on Freedom's Progress. "Any orders, Commander?" Jacob asked diligently.

"Well since all the other colonies were empty from investigators and looters. Since we'll be the first ones here this time, be ready, look for anything, shoot any hostiles."

"Don't shoot the hostiles, detain them, and question them." Miranda said defiantly, glaring at me.

"Aye aye, Commander." Taylor nodded.

"Jacob!" She gasped, surprised at him not following her lead.

"The Illusive Man said Shepard was in command. We're here under his lead. Why are you getting so worked up over being told to go… take care of yourself..." Jacob said, careful with his words under Miranda's gaze. She lowered her head, glaring at me through her bangs at me again, peeling back her lips in a growl. "Miranda!" Jacob snapped, raising his voice.

Her head snapped to gawk at him, wide eyes, dropped mouth. "Jacob?" She said in utter surprise.

"Why are you acting like such? Not like you at all! Where is formal Miranda, all professional and cool?"

After another moment of shocked silence. "I-I don't know..." Her gaze turned to me. "I'm… Sorry, Shepard. Could you forgive for acting so… emotionally?" Her gaze holds regret and sorrow. But also, deeper down, holds the fire and confidence.

Another smile crept across my face as she submits to formality. But I wanted to see that fire again unleashed. Her hellfire. "Of course. I couldn't stay mad at someone as cute as you."

Now that rage was filling her system, a blush crept across her features, causing her to duck her head and hide behind a curtain of cola-colored hair. "Thank you, Commander." Submission is a delicious taste, but so is fury.

After another silent moment of me sitting there smugly, Jacob fussing with his omni-tool, and Miranda finally looked up and stared at me and she looked almost... fascinated. The shuttle landed and I followed Jacob casting a wink over my shoulder at Miranda, drawing my heavy pistol. "Lawson, Taylor. Think you two can keep up?"

"Damn straight, Commander." Jacob drew his M-23 Katana, and took a step ahead of me, ready to charge.

"Whenever you are, Shepard." Miranda drew the same M-3 Predator as I, her expression guarded. I purse my lips as I move through the white-ish building with meals scattered across the tables.

"Looks like everyone just got up and left in the middle of dinner." We move onto a balcony and down stairs into an open space with another low building to our right. Heading through the large gate, a pair of mechs pop up across on an opposite balcony. Miranda and I drop each with head shots, blowing the annoying buzzing bots to tech hell.

"Strange. Security mechs were disabled on the other colonies. We start to move on, up a small stair case, but as I climb, a FERNIS mech dog rounds the corner and slams it's face into my chest, a huge electrical charge coursing through my body.

"Fuck!" I crawl backwards, claiming my pistol in the process, but it over heated after only a few short rounds into the mechs skull... thing... Flinging my hand that was wrapped in my omni-tool, an electrical explosion destroys the dog sending him backwards. I hear my two teammates finish the other new bots of quickly. "Son of a bitch!" I unclasp my helmet, tossing up and hear it fall down the gap. The damn thing was shot to hell, anyways.

"Shepard!" The two Cerberus operatives rush to my side as I crack my neck and pop the thermal clip, inserting a new one.

"You alright? I've never seen some take that and survive, let alone remain conscious." Miranda presses, scanning my armor before meeting my eye.

"I think a kiss will make it better."

"I'm afraid not, Commander." She said with a fake smile.

"It was worth a try." I pop up, pressing the palm of my omni-tool to my chest, tech armor surrounding me. "And don't be fake with me, Miranda. I like the real you." Moving on, the next room contained medi-gel, an easy to crack wall safe with 2,000 credits. The next cross way contains a FERNIS and a LOKI. I immediately overload the infernal dog bot. Jacob shredding the humanoid with his Katana. In the next room, contains the most surprising thing I'd ever expect in a Human colony. Quarians.

"Stop right there!" A man Quarian in a steel dull metal with green hood and clothes. And a few others lunge forward, weapons drawn.

"Prazza! You said you'd let me handle this." A familiar female voice moves toward said man. "Wait… Shepard?"

"Tali?"

"Out of the way, Tali! This is _Cerberus!_."

"Down! Now!" Tali raised her voice, something I'd never heard. "Shepard? Is that you?" She says taking a step closer.

"I'll prove it. Did the Geth information help with your pilgrimage?"

"It did. Oh, Shepard!" She flings herself and I catch her in a tight embrace, wrapping my arms around her hips, she around my neck, as I spin her around in the air. I finally set her down, keeping my hands on her hips. And I could of sworn I heard a low growl come from Miranda.

Looking over my shoulder, in time to see Miranda straighten out, lips twisting from a sneer into a smile. I was right. "Problem, Lawson?"

"No Shepard. Just..." She trailed off, allowing me to go back to my best friend. "What are you and the Quarians doing here?"

"We're looking for Veetor, a Quarian on his pilgrimage. What… What are you doing with Cerberus?" Her hands tightening around my shoulder plates. "Did you turn your back on the Council?"

"No, they turned theirs on me. The Alliance too. They let me die, and didn't even try to find me. I'm not with Cerberus. I'm helping them. For now."

Her grip doesn't loosen. "Why didn't you try to contact me these last _two years…?"_

"I was dead. Cerberus saved me." Her glowing eyes inside her helmet widen. She wraps her arms around my neck more, tighter this time. Though what sounds like another growl, barely audible. "Tali? Is the woman back there growling?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Oh, nevermind." My grin that was pressed into Tali's neck through the suit and hood. She pull back and I meet her masked eyes. "What is a Quarian doing here on it's pilgrimage?"

"Veetor always like the idea of helping a small settlement. He was always… nervous in crowds."

"She means he was unstable. Combine that with damage to his suit's CO2 scrubbers and an infection from an open air exposure, and he's likely delirious." This trigger-happy "Prazza" notes.

"He hid in a warehouse on the far side of town. He probably turned the mechs on to attack anything that moved."

"Let's team up and get Veetor. He probably knows what happened here."

"Love it." She said jostling me with her elbow.

"Now we're working with Cerberus?"

"No, _Prazza,_ You're working with me. If you can't follow orders, you can't get your ass back to the ship."

Take charge Tali made me purr… And that made Miranda growl. I overhear Jacob and Miranda start talking. "What's wrong with you?" Demanded Jacob in a whisper.

"I don't know. I can't stop."

I look back over at them and the male nods. But Miranda looks like a varren caught in the crosshairs. Eyes wide, froze. Perfect and hilarious. Go to the warehouse in the center of the colony. We'll circle around and cause a distraction, clear you a path."

"Thanks, Slayer."

She giggle, but then took a serious tone. "Move out!" We move out a door right to the one they used, and Tali comes over the comm. "Look out, Lover Boy, drones heading your way."

"Thanks again, cutie." As soon as the comm goes off, Miranda groans. "Problem, Operative?"

"Yeah! You and your 'buddy' are so cutesy-wutesy it hurts!"

"Taylor, will you find out where the drones went, and don't get shot."

"Aye aye." I hear his biotic and shotgun sound off, and then: "Sweet credits!"

With a chuckle I turned to the woman. "I think you're jealous." I state as a fact, not a question.

"What? What would possess you to think such a thought?"

"This." In one swift movement, I pin her arms above her head, left leg between hers and lean down until my lips are as close as possible without touching. She writhes under my touch when I bring down my right hand to her hip. But instead of what I want most, I move down to the bottom of her jaw, pressing my lips to the underside of her chin. I nibble my way back down the right side of her jaw, and then made a trail of light kisses to her collarbone, where I start nibbling and sucking gently on her collarbone. Then the sweetest sound I ever heard and was looking for came off her plump lips. A pleased moan. "Point." I hear her exasperated pants and shock, as I walk away, down the path Jacob had taken. Ignoring the pain of my crotch being compressed in my armor. Finding an open wall safe, exploded mech bits, then the man himself inspecting his shotgun in the carnage of the assault drones.

"You guys ready? Where's Miranda?"

"She's coming. And nice job here."

A moment late, Miranda arrives, looking like nothing happened, except for the sad look in her eye behind the one of determination. "Ready." As we move on Tali comms again.

"Shepard! Prazza and his squad have moved on ahead! They're trying to get to Veetor before you get here!"

"Thank you 'Zorah! We're on our way!"

"Hurry!"

"We gotta move faster, Commander!" Miranda presses.

"No shit!" I draw my submachine gun, M-4 Shuriken, and run into more drones. Dispatching two waves and move towards the gates.

"Get your squad into position and then I'll open the gate!" Tali calls, in the background I hear screams, guns, and rockets.

"What is that?" Using hand movements to put them on either side of the gate "And ready!"

"You'll see."

With that, the gate opens and on the other side is a YMIR mech is decimating the Quarians. "That mechs got heavy armor plating. Those Quarians never stood a chance." Jacob hollers over the chaos.

"This is gonna be one tough son of a bitch to take down." Miranda states coolly.

The YMIR locks on to us and fires a missile straight for the crate Jacob was using for cover, obliterating it. "Taylor! Over here!" He baseball slides into my cover. "Overload his shields!" Miranda and I both do it, but he still has half his shields. We unleash a barrage of bullets into the robotic behemoth, eventually getting it down to full health and half armor. But then is when Miranda got too close.

She got in close, hoping to get some shots into weak points, but the mech was faster, somehow, even with it's huge form and her lithe shape. It used it's gunning hand to through her into the tougher crates, there was a snap, and I assumed it was her back, hoped not the neck or spine. I hurtled my cover and rushed forward, it was raising it's rocket hand to smash her to bits. But I dolphin dived in, rolled to my feet, and used my omni-tool to summon my tech armor, maxing it's power, and turning the chestplate into gauntlets, I raise my forearms, crossed above my head. It brings down the heavy club, and it feels like a reaper must of landed on it. It almost destroyed my formation over her body, but I powered through, and used all my might and tech and biotic power to push it's massive arm back, just a hair, but it gave me the needed leverage. I detonate my gauntlets, and the burst of tech power completely disabled the colossal machine. I pushed it forward, so it fell backwards, and an incredible pain splintered through my left arm,

"Shit!" I said, grasping it. "I broke my arm" Applying medi-gel numbed the pain and made it bearable for the moment.

"You alright, Shepard?" Jacob jogged over to our spot.

"Yeah, but what about Miranda?" I kneel next to her, she wasn't unconscious, but she had definitely broke something too. "Miranda? Are you okay?"

"Shepard..." She says weakly. I slather medi-gel to spots on her back that the catsuit is ripped in. Figuring out her lower back is in the worst condition, I pick her up bridal style to where I see Tali tending to the wounded. I gently touch the same hip as early and give her a nod before turning to Taylor.

"Keep her awake."

"Yes, sir." He sat next Miranda and started small talk with a real shitty joke, but I felt her eyes and another pair glued on me.

"Tali?" I said meeting the Quarian's masked gaze.

"Are you going to speak with Veetor?" I simply nod to the woman. "I'm coming with you. The wounded are stable for now."

When we enter the room bathed in red light, there is a Quarian sitting in front of many security screens. "Veetor?" I question, rubbing my pained arm.

"No Veetor. Not here. Swarms can't find. Monsters coming, Have to hide." The delirious Quarian denied.

"The monsters are gone, you're safe now." He just kept typing ignoring me. I draw my pistol, tired of this shitty planet and fire it into the main screen, and the round snapped him out of it.

"You're not monster. Human? How'd you hide? And Tali'Zorah?"

"Who?"

"The monsters. The Swarms. They took everyone."

"We weren't here. And why didn't the colonist fight back?"

"You don't know. You didn't see. But I see everything."

"Is that a Collector?" Tali says after a few seconds of the clip and seeing some twisted creature.

"A Collector? I thought they didn't leave the Omega 4 relay?"

"They normally don't. Working through mercenaries and slavers."

"The seeker swarms. No one can hide. The seekers find you. Freeze you. Then the monsters take you away." Veetor babbles.

"What about you, Veetor? Why didn't they take you?"

"The Seeker Swarms didn't find me. Monsters never came for me."

"The Collectors wouldn't make a mistake… Maybe his enviro-suit kept him off their scanners." Tali thinks aloud.

"Or they're only looking for humans. Anyways, please continue, Veetor."

"The monsters took the people onto the ships, and then they left. The ship flew away. But they'll come back for me. No one escapes!"

"Thank you for your help, Veetor."

"He needs medical attention, Shepard. Let me take him. Let me give you his omni-tool information."

"Alright. Thank you, Tali." After a short pause, a question rises. "Tali. I could use your help. Think you could come with me like old times?"

"Shepard, I loved to. More than anything, but I have a mission for my people to make. When it's done, and your quest is still going, I'll hop on faster than you can say Bosh'tet." I knew she was smiling.

"Thanks, beautiful." I smile back, and she wraps her arms around my neck, but hits my left shoulder. "Ow..."

"What?" She draws back like she just been possessed and forced to stab me and realized it.

"That mech broke through my tech, shields, and armor in an arm wrestling contest. I won."

"What? How?" She gently grabs my armorless arm, covered only in the thermal bodysuit under the armor. It stings, but not enough to make me pull back. She holds it while I regale her in my tale of battle.

"So Miranda was flung and hurt her back, and he was about to smash her like the Hulk-"

"Hulk?" Tali tilt her head in confusion.

"Old Earth comic book hero. Anyway, I got between the two, and by some miracle turned my tech armor into gauntlets, and made a guard 'X' over my head, he jack hammered straight down and almost killed us both. But being the sexy as fuck hero I am, I held on." She laughed at the self proclaimed sexiness. "Anyway, I gave a final push, which actual allowed me to _gain_ ground on the YMIR, and detonated my shields, destroying the wiring inside and disactivated the beast. But he broke my sleeve and arm. The detonation destroyed mine, his, and Miranda's. Taylor has barriers."

"You're something else. Winning hand-to-hand combat with a YMIR… Wrex would be proud, hero boy." She giggled, activating my omni-tool.

She pressed her back to my front and started messing with my omni-tool. I was glad for the hard crotch plate, because her phenomenal rear pressed against it. Then it hit me how tired I was, I wrapped my free arm around waist and laid my face into the cool gold rings around the crook her neck. "He better be." I mumbled into her neck, causing her to shudder.

I heard a _bing_ and an electrical materializing sound. I looked down, to see a new sleeve, this one is tech armor, connecting with rigid edges of the broken shoulder plate and runs down to my wrist, and acts as a skeleton, the orange tech, copies the formation of my bones on the top of my hand. "There, tech armor sleeve. You can switch to chest plate, gauntlets for brawls, and boots for high drops." She looks over her left shoulder at me, and I smile gratefully at my engineer.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Now get out of here. I'll forward the information to you immediately." With that, I lean forward and kiss the forehead of my besties glass mask. Seeing Veetor is out cold on the console. And take my leave to the injured shack.

Kneeling next to Miranda, I draw her attention. "I got the information, we did it." I smile warmly.

"Good… Let's get the hell off this planet..." She smiles weakly, extending her arms, showing she'll except my help now. I scoop the injured beauty up into my arms, and she wraps her arms around my neck and rests her head on my shoulder. At the shuttle, I sit by the door, Jacob across from me, Miranda lays her head in my lap, of her own accord, catching mean and Taylor off guard.

"You can sleep now, Miranda. You did good. I'll wake you once we're there." I rest my hand on her smooth, toned abdomen, and she rests her hand on top of mine. I figured it was pain making her so soft and kind.


	3. Home and Citadel

As soon as the shuttle touched the ground inside the Cerberus station as we departed from, Jacob charged through the door, and I scooped Miranda up in my arms and let him lead me into the medical facility. I lay her down gently on one of the beds, letting her rest as long as possible, then take a seat on the bed beside hers. Three medics run into the room as I drop my tech, newly, sleeve.

"She got gut punched by a YMIR, her back is hurt. She's unconscious by choice, not force." I inform the doctors.

"And you?" A female doctor's eyes run over my armorless arm, then over my whole. She bites the corner of her lip as another woman helps her with Miranda.

"I went hand-to-hand with said YMIR." They all stopped and gaped at me, even the gruff man who was holding my arm up, causing him to drop my arm, and it to bounce off the cold, solid metal. I grunt as pain spreads through my entire arm, the tendrils of curling through my shoulder. "And broke my arm..."

"I am very sorry, Commander." The medic apologized frantically.

"Can you help me or not, Doctor Gruff?" The man had a scruffy beard and short hair, he had a broad chest. Seemed more like a security officer than a doctor.

"Yes, b-but you are different than most organics. You are held together with synthetics. You're practically Iron Man."

"If anything, I'm Batman." He sorts through drawers, and when he comes back, he come back with a needle, Batman, may he be over two-hundred years old, was my hero and icon. He's why I do what I do. Then the doc comes back with a needle, a blueish liquid inside. "And Bruce Wayne don't do needles. Back up. I'm Batman, not Joker, this is not some insane asylum." I scoot further back, away from the needle. I have two fears in this verse. Needles and Spiders. Even spiders make their way aboard starships, and I fought one bigger than the _Normandy_ in height once, back in the Alliance.

"Mr. Shepard, this needle will work with your implants and heal your arm instantly."

"Where will it go?"

"The Basilica vein."

After a moments thought, and a heavy sigh, I extend my hand. "I'll be doing it." He hands me the needle and I place the tube with the liquid between my teeth as I roll up the sleeve, groaning whenever it touches my arm. Once getting it halfway up my bicep, I take another deep breathe and inject the needle in my vein, pressing a button, and in the quiet room, you could hear the medicine being flushed from the vessel. I groan in pain and displeasure the whole time. There was a _ding_ upon completion, and I rip it out and feel the glass shatter in my armored hand. The hole from the needle instantly disappears and I feel my bones restitching in my arm. I flex it a few time, testing the odd happenings.

"Medi-gel, synthetics, and the medicine together caused your system to repair practically immediately."

"Thanks. How about Miranda?" I turn towards her, to see her barely awake, but a smug look in her weak smile.

"She'll need minor surgery for her spine and shoulder to make the recovery faster and put her in fighting status. If all goes to plan, she'll still need a week of rest first." With that, they carry her out of the room and through a set of doors.

I exit the room, turning my tech sleeve on. I pass Jacob coming up the stairs from the comm room. After reporting the findings, him suspecting as such, talking about the dossiers and Mordin Solus, and the talk of Miranda and I's sustained injuries, he delivers the best news since I woke up. "And I think I found a pilot you might like. I hear he's one of the best. Someone you can trust" And just like that, he ended the chat, leaving me no clue who.

"Hey Commander. Just like old times, huh?" Comes a familiar happy-go luck voice.

"Joker! You damn cripple!" Rushing towards the best damn pilot in the history of history. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Oh, I just decided to go for a stroll and found my way in a Cerberus station."

I laugh at his sarcasm, but it slowly dies down as it hits. "You! You got me killed!"

"That was a minor mishap. You're fine now."

"On my second go around. I only had one!"

"Aw, boo-who! Come on, I got something to show you."

"If it's your junk, I'm good." But he just kept walking. He past the med bay, so at his slower than a elcor in glue and molasses, I stopped by. "Yo, Doc Gruff!"

"Commander?'' He spins around frantically

"Message new ship," I pause, thinking of the Normandy. "As soon as Operative Lawson is good to go."

"Will do, sir." I caught up to Joker and followed him into some kind of port.

"It all fell apart without you, Commander." Joker said, as we went up a small flight of stairs. "Everything you stirred up, the Council just wanted it gone. Team was broken up, records sealed, and I was grounded. The Alliance took away the only thing that mattered to me. Hell yeah I joined Cerberus."

"You trust the Illusive Man?"

"I don't trust who makes more than I do. But they aren't all bad. Saved your life. Let me fly… Then there's this. They only told me last night." He paused as the lights in the port window we were looking out flickered on, revealing the _SSV Normandy SR-2._ It was, in a word, breathe-taking. The only thing wrong was the symbol and the colors she flying. "It's good to be home, huh, Commander?"

"I guess we'll have to give her a name. I was thinking… Yolanda? Shanaynay?" He laughed as we walked through a door, down a short corridor, and through another door, and I was home. Jacob is waiting for me inside the airlock, and walks behind me as Joke takes a seat at the helm and I stroll down the bridge with increasing excitement. There is groups of people in Cerberus fatigues, which Jacob had said there was a set for me in my cabin. "Cabin?"

"Yes, instead of being on the crew deck, your quarters are above here. The CIC."

"Very fancy."

"I think we should head to Omega and recruit Doctor Mordin Solus. He should be able to come up with a countermeasure for the Collector Seeker Swarms, sir."

"Good idea, Taylor." I look around, seeing a few staff moving to different stations. "It takes more than you, me, Miranda, Joker, and a handful of staff to run a ship."

"You are correct, Shepard. But there is quite a few more members, not on this floor, they are currently on the crew deck. But there is also me, Commander." A synthetic voice speaks behind me.

"Who are you?" I spin around to see a blue orb.

"I am the _Normandy's_ artificial intelligence. The crew like to refer to me as EDI."

"This could come in handy… But I'm not to sure about having a AI on board."

"It is shackled, Commander." Jacob comments.

"During combat I operate the electronic and cyberwarfare suites. Beyond that, I cannot interfere with the ships' systems. I observe and offer analysis and advice. Nothing more." Then she disappeared.

"Final preparations for take off are complete, Commander. When you're ready to go, just pick a destination from the galaxy map on the CIC and I'll plot a course."

"I should return to my post, Commander. Come find me if you have any questions." With a salute, he took off through a door to the right. I approach the galaxy map, to the left is my private terminal, on the right is a cute, young redhead on her own terminal.

"Hello, Commander! I'm Yeoman Kelly Chambers!" She said with a beaming smile. It had to be the brightest one I'd ever seen.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Chambers." I smile back.

"Please, call me Kelly."

"Alright… Kelly. What do you do here?"

"I alert you to any information from the crew. And I sort through you e-mails to block out junk mail and unimportant messages."

"Are you happy here?" I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned onto my back heel.

"I was handpicked by the Illusive Man to help fight the greatest threat known to man kind. How do I feel? Honor, exhilarated, terrified. But mostly I feel encouraged. Under your leadership, we can't fail."

"Don't worry, Kelly. The Collectors won't last much longer if I have anything to say about it… And I do."

"I trust you. As soon as I saw you walk on this ship, I knew I could close my eyes, fall back, and you'd be there to catch me."

"I might do more than catch you, Kelly."

"I'd like that." She smiled wickedly, yet innocently. "Is there anything else you need, Commander?"

"I've got a feeling that the ship has a new layout. Maybe you could give me a tour?"

"I'd love to." With a smile, she grabbed my right hand in hers, it was distractingly soft. She led my through the door that Jacob went through. "This is the armory. I figure you know what that means, Soldier Boy?"

"Not really." I joked, drawing a sweet laugh out of her.

"Commander?" Jacob said, whipping around. "Can I help you?"

"Not right now, Kelly here is giving me a tour of the ship."

"Aye, aye, Commander."

She lead me through a hall, taking me through a door to the right. "This is the briefing/comm room. The Illusive Man will contact you here when he needs to tell you something not via e-mail." She lead me out and to the right into a lab. "This is the tech lab. You can do research here, and this will be Mordin Solus's station." She led me back to the CIC and through an elevator door, and went down one floor. "This is the crew quarters. This is where the support staff, like me, and security sleeps." The area was huge, I could take half out and replace it with small boxing ring. Which would be a good idea. She lead me out of the bunks and into a room with tables and kitchen area, probably the mess. "This is the mess hall. And through here will be the main battery." On the other side of the door is the main battery, there were two control panels and the whole room was bathed in red light.

"It's quite impressive." I nodded my approval at her.

"Cerberus spared no expense on this ship, just like you." She smiled, pulling me back out into the mess, and taking a left. "This is the med-bay, and here is-"

"Shepard!" A motherly voice purred in excitement. Swiveling around in her chair and jumping to her feet is Doctor Chakwas.

"Karin? What are you doing here?"

"I'm following the _Normandy_ and her Commander." She said with a warm smile on her face.

"I'm glad your aboard, Doctor." With a smile and a nod, we went back to the mess and to the right, into an office, bed, and a small shower. The shower looked to give minimal room for washing though.

"This is Miranda Lawson's room, she'll be the ship's XO."

"Is that so?" I said with a smirk.

"Everything okay with that?"

"Everything is perfect." She lead me back to the elevator, then down another floor.

"This is Engineering." She lead me into a different room with a young man and woman working on two side-by-side panels. "This is Kenneth and Gabriella."

"Call my Gabby." The woman, Gabby, her voice a little gruff, but in a cute tomboy kind of way.

"Nice to meet you, Commander." The Scottish man, Kenneth nodded.

"Nice to meet you both."

"This way, Commander." Kelly guided me down a bridge. "Here is the drive core."

"Looks nothing like the old one."

"It's not the same! Much stronger!" I heard Gabby yell.

"No touching!" Kenneth yelled.

She guided me back out, looking over the, obviously, Cargo Bay. "This, as you can guess, is the final level. The Cargo Bay." Then she led me to the elevator and we went up multiple floors. Then entered a large room with a large bed, fish tank illuminating the room and dominating a whole wall. There is sizable couch with a coffee table, there is a small desk, and two nightstands. On the platform we stand on is another private terminal sitting on a long work table. Behind it is a bathroom with a shower.

"This is your Personal Quarters, biggest on the ship, Commander."

I grabbed my clothes off the bed and made my towards the bathroom. "Why is it so much bigger and more luxurious than the original?" I talked as I stripped my armor.

"The Illusive Man knew you were going into a stressful mission. He was probably trying to give you as much comfort as possible. Not used to that, now are you, Alliance?"

"Not really." I came out in the Cerberus uniform. I missed my blue camo. I didn't like this.

"You look good." She said, cocking her hip and putting her right hand on it.

"I look better in navy." She looked disappointed at the reference to the Alliance. The terminal beeped and I leaned down to read a message.

 _Commander,_

 _Miss Miranda Lawson's surgery is complete and was successful. If you will pick her up at your earliest convenience would be great. She is causing problems with not being allowed to leave on her own. Please hurry._

 _Doctor Brock Simmins_

"Who the hell is 'Brock Simmins'?" I mumbled to myself. "Kelly, thank you for the tour. It was a pleasure meeting you, but I need to go back to the station, get Miranda, then we'll be ready for take off."

"Aye, aye, Commander." She spoke in a voice I couldn't quite catch, and gave a loose salute. Her eyes flicked past me. "May I use your restroom?" She said politely.

"Go ahead." The elevator door closes as I head down a floor, and left through the airlock and jogged to the Med-Bay, and as soon as I heard the door open, I heard screaming.

"Why can't I leave! I'm fine! You said so yourself!"

"Y-Y-Your n-not allowed-d to leave on your o-own." The voice of Doctor Gruff whimpers. I see Miranda, standing perfectly straight and still, but her breathing ragged. His eyes look to me, his scared face flooding with relief. _Oh thank God…_ He mouthed to himself.

"Miranda..." I said in a playfully warning voice, with a smirk on my face. She turns to stiffly, a look of that says _finally_ on her face. "Now, now. We don't yell at the nice doctor that fixed your back."

"Just get my out of here." She grumbled irritably.

"Alright." I came over as the doctor got up and handed me a set of crutches. "Thanks… And who's 'Brock Simmins'?"

"That's me, s-sir."

I made sound of approval. "You look like a Brock. But Simmins… I think you would look more Simmins-y if you wore rimless glasses." I turned to Miranda, holding out the crutches, and she smacks them to the floor.

"I don't need those. I'm perfectly capable of walking on my own."

"Whatever." I started to walk away, and I heard her heels clicking on the floor. Light, then heavy. I turned around to look at her, seeing a colossal limp. I fell into tow with her, but her pride must have been her hurt, because she refused to look at me. "You know, Miranda, it's okay to need help. Especially after surgery."

"I don't need help. And damn well not yours." Looking forward, she mumbles under her breathe. "Aichmophobic."

Gritting my teeth and clenching my fists. "Atelophobic." I feel successful, a little guilty, when I hear her grunt of pain every other second from her forcing herself to walk normally. We board the ship, and I watch enter the elevator, glaring me down, just before the door closed, I've could have sworn I saw her given and clutch her back.

"Commander, there is message for you at your terminal."

"Thank you, Kelly." I said, victory making me sound whimsical.

 _John,_

 _I've heard rumors saying you're back… and working with Cerberus… Please come to the Presidium as soon as possible._

 _David Anderson_

I marked the message, climbed the galaxy map and chose a course for the Citadel. "E.T.A, one hour, Commander."

"Oh, Commander!" Kelly said, as I entered the elevator. "I left a cup of juice for you in your cabin, I make my own." She seemed to be blushing, but I wasn't sure at this range.

"Thanks, Chambers." I gave her a smile and headed for my cabin. She sure did, and it was the _best_ juice I ever had. It was a strawberry-honey concoction, and I savored every drop of it as I slowly drank, inspecting the cabin on my own. The bed was soft, very soft. Cerberus really did go all out. So was the couch. I laid on the couch, looking at the ceiling, the only sound being my constant, small sips and breathing.

I said there longer than I planned. Because Joker radio over the comm that we had I arrived, I slurped the rest of the drink, hearing the sad sound of it being empty, sat the cup down. It was one of those travel cups you can press down and reopen. I quickly changed into my gray and red N7 armor picked the blue straw from the cup, spinning it between my fingers as I entered the elevator. I approached Kelly, leaning on the panel to the right of her terminal.

"That juice, Kelly. The best. Literally. The best."

Her whole face turned red, darker than her hair, confusingly. "G-Glad you liked it, Commander."

"I didn't _like_ it. I _loved_ it. When could I, possible, maybe, perhaps, get some more?"

"How about after a successful mission, I'll give you a cup?" She said, turning to me, and bopping my nose with her slender pointer fingers.

I turned my head slightly, grinning. "Sounds like a deal."

"Let's seal it." She leaned up on her toes and kissed my right cheek. She came back down, no more blush, grinning cockily. I leaned down and kissed her on the right cheek, for her to give me a happy-questioning look as I walked up the bridge, out the airlock and onto the Citadel.

 _Damn politics…_

 ** _First person to guess what the juice is, and who the reference is to in my other story, Nymphomania Shepard, will get to pick a Male Shepard x Female character who I will write a solo lemon about in a one-shot! Good luck! Maybe try!_**


	4. Citadel and Traverse

"Captain Anderson!" I jog up to the dark-skinned man, clasping his forearm in a firm shake.

"Councilor Anderson now." He corrects with false cockiness. "I'm glad you came, although, I was hoping the rest of the Council could be here. Unfortunately, they rarely listen to me. Sometimes I wonder if Udina had been the better choice for this."

"Please, Udina is a pencil pusher with only his own interests in sight. You have the whole of humanity, as a soldier."

"Thanks for the heart warming speech, Commander. But I doubt Udina would approve. He say I need to work on my people skills."

"He knows how to play politics, make him to the fancy shit you can't be bothered with."

"That seems to always piss the rest of the Council off. They veto my suggestions and that's that. I think it's because I'm a soldier, not a politician."

"I don't know what to say, buddy. What's this about?"

"There has been a lot of talk since you've come back. Some of it is… disarming…. I wanted to give you a chance to explain your actions. Maybe get them to see your point of view. The one they refuse to see. They've been on the fence about you since your Reaper warnings and now reports of Cerberus? The fuck, John?"

"You guys left me adrift in space just a _month_ after I saved the Citadel! And I shouldn't of died! I should have been on shore leave! But I was dragged out of shore leave with my crew to fight _Geth_! You could have sent anyone after that! Why me! I got fucking killed by Collectors!" I rage, breathing raggedly.

"The Collectors? Is that why you're working with Cerberus?"

"Not like the Alliance is saving the colonists. Someone has to!"

"I… I don't know what to say to that… They went to the Terminus Systems to get away for the Alliance. But I could restore your Spectre ship, give you the resources. It would be otherwise ceremonial title, letting you fight the Collectors of your own accord."

"Thank you, Anderson. I will take my leave now."

"Oh, Commander. Before you leave," He steps over to a desk, picking up an eight-by-eight-by-eight steel crate, handing it to me. "When you finish your mission, and come back to the Alliance."

I slide the crate open, seeing my Alliance dog tags on top, reading:

 **Shepard, John**

 **No. 5923-AC-2826**

 **Commander**

 **Alliance N7**

And under the tags is an Alliance uniform. "How did you get my tags?" I could tell they were the originals because they had a bullet dent from a sniper shot I got fighting a Turian platoon.

"We found them in space above the planet Alchera, we found the wreckage of the _Normandy_. Hackett wants you to got and put a monument down, so it can become a public memorial to our hero." He says with a weary smile.

"I visit as soon as possible, Anderson." I nod, making my way to the door, Udina barges in.

"Anderson! Wha-? Shepard? What are you doing here? Get out!" He snarls at me. I raise an eyebrow, setting the box down.

I slam my fist into his nose, there is a wet crunching, and he falls to the floor in a bloody, unconscious heap. "Gladly."

 **X**

 **X**

 **X**

I exit the elevator after leaving my cabin, as I walk down the bridge to Joker, everyone I pass gasps. "How are you doing up here, Joker?"

"Can you believe it, Commander? I got my baby ba-" He stops as he spins around and sees me in my Alliance uniform. "Uh… Commander?"

"Yes, helmsman?"

"What's…. What's up with the blues?"

"Oh? These? Councilor Anderson gave them to me. Then I punched Udina. Came back and changed."

"Punched Udina? How was that?"

"Better than sex."

That drew a good laugh out of him. "Alright, alright. But Commander, I don't think all of these Cerberus crew will be okay with you walking around in an Alliance uniform..."

"Welp… They can go fuck themselves."

"Makes sense… Alright, we're ready to go whenever."

With a nod, I make my way to the galaxy map, setting course for Omega in the Omega Nebula.

 **X**

 **X**

 **X**

Soon, we're docked in Omega, Jacob and I are just about to exit the ship, when someone grabs the back of my armor's collar. "Where are you going?" A cold voice reaches my ears.

I spin around to face Miranda. "Omega…?"

"Without me?"

"Doc's orders, sweetie."

"I'm fine." She half groans, half growl.

"Really?" I step forward until only an inch or two is between us. I press my palm into the small of her back, and she bites her lip to hold back a cry of pain. "Want me to kiss it and make it better?" I whisper, smirking down at her.

"Bite. Me." She growls.

"Maybe when I get back." And with that, Taylor and I head out the airlock into the filth that is Omega.

"Ah! Welcome to Omega! You're new here. I can always tell. Allow me to-" A nervous Slarian greets us, only to get cut off by an angry armored Batarian. "Oh, he-hello Moklan. I was just-"

"Leave, Fargut. Of course, Moklan! Whatever she wants!" He salutes, for some reason, and scampers off.

"Blasted scavengers." He says, shaking his head. "Welcome to Omega, Shepard. Aria wants to know what brings a dead Spectre to Omega. I suggest you go to Afterlife and present yourself."

"Calm down! I'm not here to fuck with 'Aria'. Or to cause problems."

"Things tend to explode around. Afterlife. Now."

And with that, he takes his leave. "Do they?" I look over at Jacob, who just shrugs with a down -turned mouth and wide, yet a third closed, eyes. At the door to Afterlife, a Batarian is standing, and steps aside. At top of the club is a window covered in smudge, on either side is a guard. One Batarian, one Turian. Taking the side with the calm looking Turian than the pissed Batarian. At top is a purple Asari overlooking the club. She's wearing a black leather one piece, that shows her curvy sides. They disappears into a pair of knee high combat boots. On top of her leather clothing is a white jacket that stops just below her breast, it's white with a high, raised collar, and has long sleeves. On the back in red is the symbol of the Omega station.

"That's close enough." Aria commands as a Turian points a gun at my jaw, shaking his head. Every one points their guns at us. She nods her head and a Batarian approaches me with his omni-tool drawn.

"Stand still." The Batarian is Moklan.

I step side-to-side, he grows increasingly piss as a huge grin works it's way onto my face. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Stand. Still." He growls at me. "So I can scan you."

"Scan me and you'll be shitting omni-tool for a week, Batarian."

The Asari chuckles quietly. "As much as I'd love that," Moklan, to my pleasure, looks completely and horrified. "If you want to talk, I'd recommend you let him scan you."

"He's clean." He says after the omni-tool beeps.

She walks closely until we're a breathe away, she glaring me down. She has dark purple markings on her strong, sharp face "So _you_ run Omega." I say skeptically.

"And _you_ defeated Saren?" She chuckles and turns to the dirty glass then raises her hands up to shoulder height. "I _am_ Omega." She turns to smirk at me cockily.

"I _am_ Normandy." I say with a mock pose.

"What do you want, Shepard? She sighs, taking a seat and motions for me to on one of the side extensions.

"Mordin Solus. Where is he?"

"The doctor? Yeah I've heard of him, hear he's working in the slums to try and cure the plague down there. Be careful though."

"Is he dangerous?"

"He's as likely to shoot you as help."

"Alright." I say rising to my feet, to see Jacob glaring down a Batarian. "Thanks."

"You can catch a shuttle there from the apartments down to the quarantine zone. And don't bring back to plague."

"No promises." I say with a toothy smile, wide eyes, and full body shrug. After finding the apartments, a Turian and a Human woman are arguing. When the Turian denies me access, I slam my boot in his crotch. He cries out and falls to the floor, I stomp on his skull, knocking him unconscious. "What do you know about the plague?" I ask the woman.

"It affects every race… Besides Humans and Vorcha. So, as always, they blame us Humans."

"Alright, I'm going in, you going in?"

"Yeah. I need to get my shit before looters get it."

"You can ride with us."

"Thanks." She kicks the unconscious Turian before Jacob and I take the front seat of a hover-car, she sits silently in the back.


	5. Doctors and Bites

**Hey guys! Since the last chapter was kinda short, I decided I'd follow it up before posting another chapter in** _ **Nymphomania Shepard**_ **, which I think if you like lemons, you should check it out. Maybe?** **Possible? Please? Do it! Sorry… Please! I'm begging you! Anyways, enjoy** **and review** **!**

Upon reaching the slums, two Turians pop up, opening fire. They were in civilian clothing, so they went down easy. Through the side room, another unarmored Turian attacks, Jacob drops him with a biotic attack. Down the stairs, is two Blue Suns. I activate my tech armor sleeve, and Jacob hits one with a pull. I pull up my pistol, firing a round straight through the armored Human's skull. I hit the next with a throw, storming forward. I slam my boot into the Batarian's uncovered heard, turning his brains to mush. Down the stairs is Batarian, coughing and hacking. I level my M-3 Predator with his forehead.

"Sorry, Batarian. Find happiness in where ever your people go." He lets out a relieved breathe as I fire a bullet in the center between his four eyes. Moving on, and down, then back up, I find myself above a large Blue Suns squad. Silently, I pose myself on the ledge.

"Uh? Commander?"

"Sh. Open fire on my signal." Without another word, I leap down, landing with my bloody boots into the skull of, what seemed, to be the leader. He skull crunches pleasantly under my metal shoes. Upon impact, I blow up my armor sleeve, destroying their shields in a single attack. I hear Jacob gun open fire, as I turn my sleeve on, slamming my fist into a Human's gut, shooting three rounds into his chest. Behind me, a Turian charges headstrong. I reach back, grabbing his carapace, yanking down. His face bashes against my shoulder guard, and he cries out. Using all my strength, I lift the over two hundred pounds of scales and armor over my shoulder and over the barricade, Jacob fires a shotgun burst into his chest. I spin around as a Batarian, Turian, and Human rush me. The Batarian fires his assault rifle, Human firing a pistol, and the Turian fires a shotgun. I dive forward, lashing out with my armored sleeve, swinging from right to left, hitting each in the jaw, stunning them long enough for me to fire into each head. A final bulky Batarian rushes forward with a cry.

He's wrapped in a barrier and carrying a shotgun, so I assume he's a Vanguard. Then, he slams forward, using a biotic charge. The speed of his attack prevents me from dodging, and he bashes into me, decimating my shields, and jars me, too, due to the increase of biotics and barriers. The collusion knocks the weapon from my hand, and throws me to the ground. He lets out a deep howl as he stalks over to me. He stands over me, a foot on either side, and points his Katana down at me. I bring my shinguard up into his armored gonads, relishing in his whimper. He falls forward, but I bring my knees to my chest, his landing on my boots, and flip him over my head and hear a table break. I raise to my feet and find him quickly recovering. I rush forward, tech arm up.

I predict his next move before he does. He uses his charge again. This time though, I dive, my forearm slams into his knees and I heard a loud _snap_ on impact. He cries out as he slams into the ground, and I crouch down above his head, bringing my fist down on his forehead, his head leaves his shoulders to form a disgusting pool in it's place.

"Oh shit, Commander!" Jacob says from my side. "That was amazing!" His eyes are all but falling out, they're the size of saucers.

I grasp my forearm, rubbing circles over my wrist that is only covered with a sleeve/glove from my thermal bodysuit and tech armor. All the combat-use of it really hurt, but I'd be fine. "Thanks, it's what I do." Then I hear a shatter through the walls. I turn to see a locked door. I quickly hack it and run down the stairs. It's a small apartment. A large bedroom/living room and a kitchen. Behind some moved cabinets a human woman's eyes pop up and she then stands at full height, a man soon following.

"Oh thank God. You're human" She says in relief.

"Are you guys okay?"

"Auntie Tina! Uncle Peter!" The girl who came with us must have been following behind at a safe distance, because she charges straight in and up to the couple. The embrace in a hug and I signal for Taylor to leave. In the next room, we watch quietly as a small group of Blue Suns battle the Blood Pack.

The Blue Suns don't last long to the large number Vorcha, Varren, and Krogan. After fighting a grueling battle of wave after wave of Blood Pack. The next door and staircase leads to the clinic. In the back is a Slarian in a red and white lab coat. "Mordin Solus?"

"Who are you? Not mercenaries, not uniformed. Not refugees, too well armed. Not-"

I raise my hand to stop his guessing. "I'm John Shepard, and I'm here to recruit you in the battle against the Collectors."

"Collectors? Interesting. Must ask. Who do you work for?"

"I work _with_ Cerberus. Not for. Can you help us, doctor?"

"I'm busy. Curing plague."

"If we were to help you, would you help us on our mission?"

He thinks for a second before answering. "Yes. Yes. I will. You fix the fans. Then insert cure to distribute into slums air."

"Alright. I'll be back."

"Oh! Take this! Found on dead merc. Tried to attack. I shot. And while you're out there, look for assistant, Daniel. Left. Never came back." He hands me an M-6 Carnifex heavy pistol. With a nod of thanks, we move out. I put the Predator away into weapons armory in the lobby before exiting the clinic. Around the corner is a platoon of Blood Pack, mainly Vorcha, but a handful of Krogan. I fire a bullet, and the round blows a Vorcha's head clean off. The gun was louder, but hella stronger. Using throw and flinging a Vorcha into a wall with cracking sound and he falls to the ground, unconscious, only for a Krogan to charge over it, slamming straight on it's skull. Taylor hits one with a pull, and slams the butt of his shotgun right between it's eyes. We work systematically through their makeshift stronghold.

Jacob kills the last Krogan with a close range, fiery shotgun blast. Going through a door, to the left, and up some stairs, there are two unlocked doors. Upon opening the first one, I see three Batarians holding a Human at gun point. I motion Jacob to move in, and a Batarian sees him, I walk, in guns raised. "Don't come any closer or the Human dies!"

"That won't be necessary." I lower my weapon, and Jacob follows. "Let him go."

"He was trying to spread the plague! We found the vials in his bag!" The one holding him hostage hisses, this allows me to conclude the boy is Daniel.

"Why would he brings the plague to Vorcha territory. It's the cure. Let him go."

After a moments hesitation, he speaks up. "Will you let _us_ go?"

"I don't see why not?" I say, stepping to the side, opening the passage to the door.

"Human nobility? Didn't think it existed." He says, grateful as they leave.

"Thank you! I-"

"Get back to the clinic, Mordin needs you."

"Y-Yes!" He nods his head vigorously, taking off. The next room contains three Vorcha, which I decapitate with three quick shots through a window. Going down the stairs, immediately, I get hit in the chest with a rocket, destroying my shields. I slide into cover as I wait for them to recover, and activate tech sleeve on my almost bare arm. Jacob and I use our heavy pistols to take down the Vorcha rocket troops, then move downstairs to fight another two waves of Blood Pack. The next room contains two Vorcha, which I kill with two shots, and a Krogan. I use my, scarcely used as to forgetting about it, cyroblast on the Krogan, then Jacob blasts it with his Katana, ice shards go flying. The next room holds a Vorcha boom squad.

"What are you doing?" I yell across the room

"We break fans! Shut off air! Everyone choke and die!"

"But why?"

"So the Collectors will make us strong! But you work for doctor! Fix fans! Distribute cure! We kill you first!" Jacob and I kill the squad with ease. Then I insert the cure into the mainframe, only for EDI to radio me and tell me we have to turn the fans back on… Damn…

As soon as I turn around, Krogan and Vorcha alike start to pour in. "Taylor! We move right to get to the fan, clear out only those in our way, then we'll cut a bloody swathe right down the middle and go left to get to the other, then we'll kill any stragglers and go back to the clinic!"

"Sounds like a plan!" We work our way across, and he watches my back as I blow pyros, killing the friends and slip into the control room to turn the fans back on. With a nod, we slam forward, catching them off guard and lowering said guard long enough for us to kill them. Then across we double team a Krogan with cold efficiency, then I charge into the control room, and I can hear Jacob's guns and biotics covering me as I turn on the fans. I help him mop up three more pesky Vorcha, then head on back to the clinic.

"Thank you, Shepard. For cure. For assistant."

"Will you help us now?"

"Yes. Yes. Meet you on board ship. Have to set up Daniel. Yes." And with that, Jacob and I head back to the _Normandy_.

 **X**

 **X**

 **X**

I watch quietly as Taylor catches the doctor up to speed, he meets EDI, then Jacob takes him to the science lab. I take the elevator down to the CIC, after changing into my Alliance civvies, and absently rub my aching left forearm with the palm of my hand, stroking up and down.

"What do you want, Shepard?" Miranda says, looking at me in my blues with distaste.

"What? I can't just come down and talk to my favorite XO? I used to be an XO."

She stops typing and looks at me, then she looks taken back at the position I'm siting in on her chair infront of her desk. My feet hang over the head rest, head hanging off the bottom of the seat. "Don't sit in the chair like that..." She says, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Fine!" I say haughtily. I rise to my feet and walk behind her desk, crouching behind her chair, and my head is all but laying on her left shoulder. She tries to ignore me, but it's hard to when I whisper in her ear. "If I recall correctly, I was supposed… What was it again. Lick you?" I pause, only to get no answer. "Bite you?"

With that, I lean down, bringing my teeth down on her neck. My canines find her vein, and I latch on and bite. I feel my teeth just barely break the skin and she shudders. I move my tongue in slow strokes across the vein, and open my eyes to see her hands hovering over her keyboard, clenching and unclenching, as if to hold them in place. She makes a sound in the back of her throat, like she's holding back a moan, making me grin against her cool, porcelain skin.

Finally, her hands leave the table and her fingers run through my hair. But, as if her senses hit her, she weakly grabs the back of my neck and pull me up, her breathing ragged and shallow. "I'm… I'm going to get dinner. G-Go away..." She says breathlessly. She tries to rise, but has difficulty, grasping her lower back as she shifts into a painful position.

I put my hand on her shoulder, easing her back down in to her chair. "I'll get it." Leaving before she could protest, I make my way to the mess. "Two trays of whatever you made, Rupert."

"Meatloaf." I watch as he shovels two pieces of said meat onto two trays, slops some mashed potatoes and corn on, too. I grab a bottle of ketchup, and made my way back to the XO's office.

I hand her one of the trays, then take a seat. I spray the ketchup over in a loose zig-zag pattern, then offer her the bottle, which she declines with a shake of her head. "Oh God! Give me the ketchup! This is horrible!" She gags, making me nervous to eat it. She bathes it in ketchup as I hesitantly take a bite, just to find out she's right.

"Oh Lord." I half gag, half laugh. The next half of the meal goes by in silence. "You know, Miranda." She looks up, eyes wide with a trail of corn juice running down the right side of her mouth. It was kinda cute. "We could be friends."

"Do you really want to be friends? Or do you just want to get in my pants?" She says with an edge.

"What? What would make you think that?"

"Freedom's Progress. Just a minute ago."

"Freedom's Progress I was proving a point. And a minute ago I was just doing what you asked." I said with a devious smile.

"So you're saying you don't find me attractive?" She said looking offended.

 _What the fuck goes through a woman's mind?_ "I didn't say that."

"Do you think I'm sexy?"

"No-"

"But you just said-"

"You didn't let me finish. You're not sexy. You're beautiful."

Her snow-white face turns a deep red and she looks down at her tray, bangs blocking her face from view. "I've never been called beautiful." She whispers. "I was designed for to be able to do anything. Biotics, shoot, seduce..."

"Designed?"

"I was born of a tank. Genetically born." The rest of the meal goes by in silence as I think over the news. At the end, I take her tray, nod and smile goodbye. "Commander..." She says softly.

"Hm?"

"I… Thank you for saving me back at the colony. I… messed up..."

"It happens to the best of use. Even the perfect."


	6. Missiles and Kisses

"Get a refund kid." I said after handing some kid, barely eighteen, his gun after jamming it.

"That was a good thing you did there, Commander." Jacob says as him, Mordin, and I make our way to the port to the battlegrounds.

"You guys freelancers?" A Batarian at the spaceport.

"Yeah." The car ride to another area of the hellhole that is Omega.

Upon reaching the landing zone, another Blue Sun's Batarian approaches. "It's about time they send someone who looks like they can do something. They tell you what were up against?"

"Archangel? Said he was sniping men as they poured over the bridge."

"Good, head on up to the bridge, there is a bunker there. Find Sergeant Cathka, he's working on a the gunship."

"Gunship? Sounds problematic." Mordin comments once we're out of range. We make our way to the bunker, hacking a YMIR friend-or-foe programming along the way.

I find another Batarian Blue Sun working on a gunship. "Cathka?"

"You must be the one Salkie was talking about. The infiltration team is about to give us the signal. Archangel won't know what hit him."

He lights up a cigarette, and the smoke gathers in my face, I fan it away as I speak. "Are you leading the assault, Serg?"

He lets out a deep howl of laughter. "Tarak doesn't pay me enough to fight. I just plan the attacks and fix his damn gunship. You freelancers get the privilege of-" His comm beeps and then he hollers. "Go! Go! Go!" The squad guarding the doors takes off, weapons drawn. "Better get the ship back up and running before Tarak wants her." He dips down, working on some circuits.

I walk up behind him. "Fuck you." And with that, I grab each side of his helmet, bashing his skull repeatedly against the sparking circuits.

"Gruesome." Mordin states. "But smart." We jump the barricade just as some merc gets shot in the head. Up top is a Turian with a sniper, picking them off as they come.

"I get it's time we give Archangel some help." And with that, I drew my Carnifex and blasted some freelancers head off. I activated my tech armor sleeve and charged forward. We cut through the men, who were only looking out for themselves, shooting bombs as we passed them. In no time flat, we had killed all the mercenaries and hacked the door to Archangel's room. "Archangel?" He holds up a finger, then pull the trigger. A scream of death fills the air, and the Turian turns to us as he removes his helmet to reveal the shocking news. "Garrus?"

"Hey, Shepard." He says solemnly

"Garrus!" I start to move towards him, but then stop. "You shot me!"

"Concussive rounds only. If I wanted to do more than just drop your shields, I would."

"Well, what are you doing in Omega?"

"Just keeping my skills sharp."

"By pissing off every major mercenary group on Omega?"

"It wasn't easy, I really hard to work." He says with a small smile.

"Archangel?"

"It's what, as you humans say, the 'local yokels' call me. For all my good deeds. But you have to call me Garrus."

"Oh? Is that an order, _Commander Garrus_."

"Damn straight, Grunt. Spectre. Shepard. Human. Thing." He sputters.

"Well now what, Commander?" I ask Garrus.

"I suggest we hold location, wait for a crack in their defenses, and take our chances. It's not the perfect plan, but it's a plan."

"Sounds fun. I haven't shot anyone in a couple of seconds."

"Glad to see you haven't changed." He approached the window, looking through his scope. "Take a look. Scouts. Eclipse, I think."

He hands me the sniper, and I peer down at the barricade. LOKI mechs start jumping down to ground level. I bring the mech's head into sight, and pull the trigger, blowing it's head clean off. "One less now."

"Alright. Let's do this, Commander." Garrus said as he rushed for cover. I fell in beside him, Mordin and Jacob take up spots at different points of the window. We picked off mechs as they came, my squad using Carnifexes, Garrus using his sniper. Soon all the mechs lay in a pile of bits and pieces pooling at the bottom of the barricade, none of them even took a step, but now, Eclipse soldiers started rolling in, and they were smarter than mechs, in a sense of cover. They pushed a little bit farther, but were still no match for our expert squad, and then Garrus freaked out at the next arrival. "Oh shit! They got a YMIR!"

"Heh. No problem, Garrus! We took care of that already!" Jacob hollered over.

The heavy mech dropped, and an orange electrical field around it. "Clever, clever man you are Shepard." He laughed and we watched with joy as Eclipse poured in and tried to take down the YMIR. Eventually, after about five or six thick waves, the managed to bring it down, and we just mopped up the rest. Garrus pulled the trigger on some Salarian engineer named Jaroth, who runs Eclipse on Omega. "They didn't even touch me, and we got Jaroth in the process. I've been hunting that bastard for months."

"Why were you going after him?"

"He's been shipping tainted eezo all over Citadel space. Half the goods I seized back at C-Sec came from his team here on Omega. I took out a big shipment a while back and killed his top lieutenant in the process. No surprise he decided to work with the other mercs after that."

"I think we should stick around and killed the other two group leaders. Ya know, for fun."

"Will have to. They've reinforced the other side. Heavily. What are they waiting for?" As if on queue, the building shook with an explosion

"The fuck?" Jacob said, trying to regain his balance.

"Damn it! They breached the lower levels. Well they had to use their brains eventually. You better get down there, Shepard. I'll keep the bridge clear."

"Taylor! Stay here and keep this ugly bastard alive."

"Aye, aye. But be quick."

"Come on, Mordin!" With that, the Salarian and I charge down the stairs and out the back door. I charge down another set of stairs, toward the shutter control, and punch the button. Another gate opens, and three Vorcha and a Krogan pour through, we hold them off long enough for the shutters to close.

"There are two more shuttles! Hurry, close them!" To the left, we fight through Vorcha and pyros, and at the shutter, we hold off another Krogan. We head back, then to the right, this room is more open and contains Vorcha, Varren, and Krogan. Mordin and I work quickly, cutting through the waves and using our powers to push them back far enough to close the shutters. We rush back just find more Blood Pack, we work through a few more Vorcha, Varren, and two Krogan grunts to go head to head with their leader, Garm.

He was tough, and his health regenerated instantly, we had to keep constant fire on him from four different points to take him down, and as soon as he went down, Blue Suns start to pour in down stairs. I put Jacob down stairs as our front line, and Mordin, Garrus, and I gave him cover from upstairs, picking anyone who shows their head off instantly. Then they started dropping down on _our_ level, through a window, in the process of eliminating the squads, we killed Tarak's second-in-command, Jentha. Then, to my horror, a gunship rounded the corner, and, Garrus being himself, thought he could take it down one-on-one, and the gunship hit Garrus. In the face. With a rocket.

I pulled the grenade launcher off my back and open fire, releasing a barrage of explosions on the gunships armor. It was no match for our superior firepower and abilities, and it hurtled to the ground below in an explosion of tech and fire.

"Garrus!"

"He's not doing well." Jacob states. "We need to get him to the _Normandy_ asap, sir."

"Joker! We need evac immediately!"

"Aye, aye, Commander."

 **X**

 **X**

 **X**

"Commander. We've done what we could for Garrus, but he took a bad hit. The docs corrected with surgical procedures and some cybernetics, best we can tell, he'll have full functionality, but..." Jacob said grimly.

The doors to the briefing room slid open and there stood Garrus, a huge chunk of his armored collar missing and a bandage across his face. "Shepard."

"Tough son of a bitch. Didn't think he'd be up yet." Jacob marveled.

"Nobody would give me a mirror. How bad is it."

"Hell, Garrus, you were always ugly. Slap some face-paint on there and no one will even notice."

He laughs, then cringes. "Don't make me laugh, damn it. My face is barely holding together as it is."

"As usual."

"I was always getting all the ladies' attention. I figured you could use some, too."

"If by 'getting' you mean they give you weird looks and step away, sure."

Jacob saluted and left the room silently. "Frankly, I'm more worried about you. I've heard bad things about Cerberus these past few years."

"That's why you're here, fat ass. If I'm walking into hell, I need someone who I can use as a meat shield and not feel bad." I said with a wide grin.

"Man, you just want me to have the ladies, don't you." Then he looked behind him with a scowl. "My ass is as flat as cardboard."

"Garrus, in the two years I was dead, I got laid more than you did."

"If by laid, you mean laid down on a science table, alright."

"Touche."

"I'm fit for battle, if you need me, I'll be down in the main battery working on the guns." I followed him to the elevator, he used it, but I went to Kelly.

I walked up behind her silently. "I'd say that the mission was pretty successful."

She jumped and spun, landing in a sitting position on her desk. "Shepard! You scared!"

"I can see that." I said with a laugh.

"I believe I owe you some juice." She said with her cheek bones tinted pink, the blush ever eluding me. She hopped, reaching down below her little table, shaking her rear end on purpose, I tried to look away, but I couldn't. I heard her shuffling around under there, and reluctantly, rip my gaze from her bootylicious booty. "Here you go, Commander, for your victory." She hands me a medium sized white soft drink cup with a lid and a straw.

"Thank you, Kelly." I grabbed the cup from her hand, brushing her hand. I kiss her on the cheek and with a smile in her direction, I made my way towards the elevator going to the crew deck. I grabbed two trays of sausage, bacon, eggs, and gravy and head to Miranda's office. "Here you go." I say handing her her tray.

"Thank you, Shepard." She said with a smile as I took a seat across from her. When she saw me take a drink, she had a question. "Whatcha got there?" She said, taking a bite of gravy-covered sausage.

"It's some kind of strawberry-honey juice. Yeoman Kelly makes it for me. Want some?"

"Sure." She said with a shrug. She held out her cup and I poured half my cup into hers. She takes a small drink, then looks at me with wide eyes. "That is good!"

"Right?"

"So..." She stirred her eggs, lifting the fork to her mouth. "How'd the mission go?"

"Archangel was Garrus. We killed all the mercenary gang leaders on Omega. And Garrus took a missile to the face. It made him look better."

At that, she giggled. And boy, oh boy, it was one of the _sweetest_ sounds I had _ever_ heard. She covered her mouth so she didn't so the food in her mouth. "Speaking of heroes and vigilante names, I heard if you were a superhero, you'd be Batman?"

"That's right. I'm Batman." I put my empty tray down on the ground, and walk around to the other side of her desk, crouching behind her, I laid my head on her right shoulder, and felt her tremble ever so slightly. I liked that I could get such a reaction out of the in the words of the late Wilson 'Ice Queen'. "Would you be my Catwoman?"

She turned her head toward me, lower lip trembling, and I decided. _What the hell?_ I leaned forward, capturing her lips. She went still for a moment, before leaning into it and melting against me. She wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me against her, I sunk my fingers into her long flowing cola-colored hair, it was as soft pillow. Her lips were even softer. They were like _plush_ pillows. I ran my tongue across her lower lip before pulling it between my teeth, nibbling on it gently, and rolling it. I released her plump lip, giving her another quick kiss before smiling at her warmly.

"Yes, I'll be your Catwoman." She said a huge, bright smile spreading across her face.


	7. The Veteran and Master Thief

"Commander?" EDI's monotone voice came on over the comm.

"Yes?" I said a little dreamily, holding Miranda's gaze.

"I have a message from The Illusive Man about something here on Omega, I'm forwarding it to your omni-tool."

My omni-tool beeped, tearing my eyes from Miranda's steel blue eyes, I read the message. It was informing me of a Zaeed Massani, a well known bounty hunter. Very seasoned and said to be a great warrior. Apparently he was hear on Omega and Cerberus had paid for him to join my squad to help fight against the Collectors.

"What is it, Shepard?" Miranda asked, tilting her head to the side in a cute way.

"The Illusive Man has hired Zaeed Massani to join the team and he's here on Omega." I rise to my feet, then extend my hand to her. "It says I just have to pick him up. No fighting. You could come with me."

Her eyes light up at the idea of getting off this ship, she clasps my hand and I pull her out of her chair gently. "I'd love to get out of here, even for just a few minutes." I intertwine our fingers and make our way to the elevator. Her fingers wiggle between mine and palm fidgets against mine awkwardly. It doesn't even stop once we get to the elevator and I send us towards my cabin so I could armor up.

"Miranda? What's wrong?"

"I just… I haven't… Never… First..." She stammered, blushing deeply and moving nervously.

That's when it hit me. "You've never had a boyfriend."

She pulled her hand out of mine and backed into a corner, looking down at the ground and playing with her fingers. "I-I never had a reason to want or need one. I was always so busy with Cerberus and other stuff, no one ever made me feel like… like… well how you make me feel. So, yeah, I've never had a boyfriend and I'm a little nervous."

She was, in a word, adorable. I cup her chin with my forefinger and thumb, lifting her head to meet my eyes. "I know I fluster you. I know I get under your skin. And that I can make you hips quiver." I said, wiggling my eyebrows and she laughed quietly. "But you don't have to be nervous. You don't have to change who you are. Or strive to be different. If I wanted something else, I wouldn't have gone to you. I went you, because you are you."

She smiled weakly at first, and then a huge smile. She grabbed the collar of my shirt in her fists, and brought me down to her, starting another kiss. I wrapped my arms around her waist, pressing up against her. I glided my tongue across her lips, and they parted, allowing me entrance. I slid in, exploring the hot cavern that is her mouth. I searched everywhere I could, every nook and cranny until I met her tongue. Our tongues danced slow and sensually in our mouths, and I never wanted it to end, but the door to the elevator to my cabin opened and the need for oxygen surfaced.

"Wait here while I go get suited up." I give her another quick peck on the lips before moving to my room to remove my wrinkled shirt and trousers. I quickly drag on my thermal suit and then my N7 armor on over top of it, then move back to the elevator.

"Why haven't you gotten your left arm repaired?" She asked, running her hand down my exposed thermal suit.

I tapped my omni-tool, activating my tech armor sleeve. "I don't know, really. I guess I just kinda like it this way." We move to the crew deck, then into the armory. I grab an M-6 Carnifex, she grabs an M-3 Predator, we both grab an M-4 Shuriken, and then on the way out, I grab the grenade launcher. We exit the airlock and at the end of the tunnel is a gray-haired man punching the shit out of some Batarian. "Zaeed Massani?" I ask the man.

"You must be Commander Shepard."

"You know what we're up against?" I took in his appearance, one dark eye, one crystal blue eye, the blue eye is circled by a scar the shape of C, and yellow armor without sleeves, instead, gauntlets, and a large right shoulder plate.

"I've done my homework, Cerberus sent me all I needed to know."

"Alright. Who's your friend? I was told I was only picking up one man, not one and a Batarian."

"He's a delinquent. He pissed off someone rich enough to hire me to go after him. Definitely not bringing him along or anything."

"Please! I didn't do it!" The Batarian pleaded.

Zaeed turned around and bashed his boot into the man's face. "I said shut up! He tried to lead me on a chase all over the systems, he should have known better. His people _always_ run to Omega."

"How are you and Cerberus connected?" Miranda finally piped up, popping out from behind me.

Zaeed ran his eyes over her, and since I didn't like it, I cleared my throat, getting his attention, and shook my head no. "Easy, Cerberus is paying me a lot of money to help you. _A lot_ of creds."

"Not many mercenaries would take a job, no matter the pay off, for a suicide mission."

"Most mercs don't get an offer like the one Cerberus gave me. The mission doesn't sound like good business, but your Illusive Man can be really persuasive, and by that, I mean he isn't a cheapskate."

"You're telling me." I chuckled. "Good to have you Zaeed, we've got a lot to do."

"That's what they tell me." He drew his pistol, turning towards the Batarian. "I assume The Illusive Man told you about our deal."

"No he didn't."

"Good thing I asked." He turned back towards me. "I picked up a mission a little while before I signed on with Cerberus. You ever heard the name Vido Santiago?"

"Can't say that I have."

"He's the head of the Blue Suns. Runs the whole operation. Seems he recently captured a refinery on Zorya and is using their workers for slave labor. The company hired me to deal with it."

"I'll make sure we get that done." Sounds like fun.

"Good, get it out of the way so we can concentrate on being big, goddamn heroes!" With that, the Batarian gets up and runs, Zaeed just shoots it. "I better turn this thing in before it starts to stink. I'll be loaded next time you're ready to get some killing done." He drags it into Omega as we head back to the airlock, and after decontamination, we enter the _Normandy._

"I need a shower after being on that pisshole." And with that, she tossed me a smile over her shoulder and entered the elevator.

"Commander, you have a new message." Kelly informed me.

At my terminal, there was another message from the Illusive man, saying that there was another member of the crew I needed to pick up. A Kasumi Goto. A master thief, not well known because she was the best, not the most famous. And once again, Cerberus had paid greatly for her to join me. And I figured she'd have a condition, too. So I plotted a course for the Citadel, waited for Zaeed to get back, and took off, I didn't even bother to change.

When we arrived, I made my back down to the Crew Deck. "Wanna go to the Citadel?" I asked Miranda from her doorway.

"Why are we at the Citadel? And why can I come?" She inquired, perching herself on her elbows, resting her chin on her folded hands.

"We are here to recruit a Kasumi Goto, a master thief."

"Sounds like fun. Sure." She smiles as I walk around her desk, helping her up again. I wrap my fingers around hers, feeling the pads of my fingers press up against the soft skin of her knuckles. We walk down the CIC, drawing a few stares here and there, I feel a certain redhead's gaze burn into my back. Outside the airlock, I have to remove my hand from hers to drive the hover-car until I land on the entrance to the Wards. As soon as we step out of the car, Miranda snakes her arm around mine.

I notice she's standing a little straighter and stiffer. "Is your back starting to hurt?"

"I'll be fine."

"Commander Shepard, we have the finest companions waiting for you. Perhaps something petite, smart, and Japanese will be your style." A bubbly and confident voice reaches my ear and Miranda's arm tightens around mine. I look around to see an advertisement comm holographic thing with the image of a hooded woman on it. "Please tell me your password, Commander Shepard." She said upon approaching,

"Silence is golden."

"Good to finally meet you, Commander Shepard. Kasumi Goto. I'm a fan."

"I'm a human." I heard Miranda sigh at my side. "Do you know what we're up against?"

"Honestly, I'm shocked they didn't come to see me sooner. My fault for being hard to find I guess."

"How are you and Cerberus connected?" Miranda asked again. When Kasumi ran her eyes over her, I didn't stop her. This time it was obvious that she was with me, and if she wanted a "go" at Miranda, I don't think I'd try to stop, to be honest.

"That's a bit of story. Short version, they were looking for me, so I trailed them to find out why. Turns out they were looking for someone to help you on an important mission, and were offering a serious signing bonus. I had a thing I needed help with, so I made them a deal. And here we are."

"Where are we going and what are we doing?"

"I'm looking for my old partner's graybox. A man name Donovan Hock took it, and I'm planning to get it back."

"I assume you'll fill me in later? Well, we'll do it."

"I know you will, and if you're lucky, you won't even have to draw your gun."

"That's boring." I groan and Miranda nudges me with her elbow.

Then the advertisement disappears, and the same voice comes from behind us. "That's a nice piece of arm candy, Shepard." We whirl around to see the hooded woman in a gray and black tight catsuit. Not like Miranda's, this has more belts and straps and talons on her elbow and a hood. She looked like a badass hawk. We should probably wrap this up, you look pretty silly talking advertisement. See you on the ship, Shepard." With that, she turned invisible and walks away..

"She's almost as cool as you."

"Which means she's _twice_ as cool as you." She smiles and wraps her arms around my neck.

"Oh, thanks a million, Hun." I smile down at her as she leans up, pressing her lips to mine. It made me grin even wider against her lips that we're in public. She leans her chest against my armored chest, and sighs into the kiss.

"I like this. I like us." She said, resting her forehead against mine.

"Come on. Let's go back to our ship."


End file.
